Choosing the right music for your wedding processional will create the ambience for your wedding. Your choice of processional music can range from contemporary to traditional and everything in between. A few tips can guide you in selecting the best music for your wedding.
What is Processional Music?
Many people wonder what processional music is and what role it plays in the modern wedding. The role of processional music is quite simple and that is to provide beautiful background music during the parts of the ceremony when the bride, groom, and other members of the bridal party enter or exit. Processional music is still as important today as it has ever been and plays a useful role in the wedding.
Add Focus
One of the most important features of processional music is that it alerts family and friends that something is happening. As the bride traditionally enters the wedding venue from the rear, guests may not realize that the bride is entering until she is passing them. The processional music gives the guests notice that the bride is arriving.
Marks a Beat
Another essential part that processional music plays is that it marks a beat or tempo for the wedding party to match their walking pace to. Without the beat of music the temptation can be for the wedding party to move out of time, or too fast or slow. The beat of the processional music ensures that everyone walks at the same pace for a coordinated flow to the wedding processional.
Relaxing
Most processional music has classical overtones. The smooth melodies help to give a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere which is beneficial to the wedding party and guests alike. The music also helps to mask any rustling of paper such as wedding programs or other items and keep a calm atmosphere in the wedding venue.
Choice of Processional Music
Most couples will be aware of some of the classic wedding processional tunes. Perhaps the most well known is the 'Wedding March', also known as 'Here Comes the Bride', written by Richard Wagner. This piece of music is a popular choice around the world and has played in many hundreds and thousands of weddings. While this is a much loved favorite, many couples are looking for something a little different and are seeking other choices of wedding processional music.
Contemporary Processional Music
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing processional music. Contemporary music is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional wedding processional tunes. There is no reason why the bridal party should not enter to a song by the couple's favorite singer or band. Some tunes are more appropriate than others - a fast rock song might sound great, but could result in the bridal party galloping up the aisle in super-quick time. There are plenty of great contemporary options, however, and singers from Elvis Presley to Robbie Williams and bands from The Beatles to Green Day have all recorded music and love songs for weddings that would be interesting alternatives.
Choosing Wedding Processional Music
Wedding planners can offer great ideas for processional music, however some couples like to come up with their own ideas and find something that is special to them. This might be the same music that their parents played during their wedding or a song or tune that has particular sentimental meaning.
If a couple is looking for wedding ceremony music that is a little different then there are many places to listen to wedding music online. Many online record stores, for example, offer snippets of music and this can be a great way to get an idea of the wide range of music available. Downloads of a single track are often relatively cheap and this can be a great way to listen to a short list of different processional music options. Libraries also often have a selection of CDs which are free or low cost to borrow. This is a particularly good way to listen to a range of music that might otherwise be unfamiliar.
When choosing the music for the processional, remember to discuss it with the officiant or venue personnel at the ceremony site to be sure it's acceptable. Some churches, for example, may not allow contemporary music or have other restrictions on music choices.
Music is just part of the rich mix that will make the wedding day special, and the right wedding processional music will help set the tone for a memorable event.
